Preaching and Clarifying the Meaning of Erecting the Gohonzon (2)

It is clear from the examples such as a letter, paper money, the contract document that the thing which wrote by a letter of an alphabet on paper has power.

But proof to become the grounds for something is necessary. In addition, they must possess the ability understanding the written meaning.

The false letter is useless.The counterfeit bill is punished.We become the offender if we make the false contract documents.

Conversely, the genuine paper money has a national guarantee.Even if the people who still do hunting life in a forest of the heart of a mountain without the custom of the monetary economy, received a bunch of dollars, they will only put it on a bonfire.The letter which a person thinks for a partner and wrote may become the writing changing the lifetime if the other party to receive had ability receiving the thought.The reason why a person believes a thing written on paper is because the thought of the person who created it, or the intentions such as organizations do so-called transfer changing to paper.

The primordial Buddha's soul, a life of the mercy concretely in other words, of the latter days of the Law transfers to the Gohonzon which Nichiren revealed.The person can express the nature of Buddha being hidden in own soul for the first time by chanting a title to this Gohonzon.

Nichiren likens this hidden Buddha's nature to a bird of the basket and likens a chanting title to a bird flying in the sky.

“Therefore, when once we chant Myoho-renge-kyo, with just that single sound we summon and manifest nature of all Buddhas; and all bodhisattvas; and all hearers of voice; all the deities such as Brahmā, Shakra, and King Yama; the sun and moon, and the myriad stars; the gods of heaven and earth, and all living beings in the worlds of hell, hunger, animality, anger, humanity, and rapture. The benefit of calling these nature of Buddha is immeasurable and unfathomable.If we worship Myoho-renge-kyo of our mind as the Gohonzon, the nature of Buddha in our mind summons Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This condition to call each other is called Buddha. For example, when a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage tries to get out.When with our mouths we chant the marvelous Law, our inner Buddha's nature, being summoned, will appear by all means. The Buddha's natures of Brahmā and Shakra, being called, will protect us, and Buddha's nature of Buddha and bodhisattvas, being summoned, will rejoice. Therefore, 'If a person kept this Lotus Sutra even during a little, I will delight, all the Buddha is same too'. It is this mind that preached so. All the Buddha of the three existences, past, the present and future, too, had attained Buddhahood by virtue of five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. Five characters are the purpose why all the Buddha of the three existences appeared in the world, it is the marvelous Law where all living beings can attain the Buddhahood. You should understand these meanings well really and, on this road for becoming Buddha, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without arrogance or bias”. ‘About Attaining Buddhahood at the Beginning Stage of Religious Life through the Lotus Sutra’.

Nichiren preaches it that it is all of practices to become Buddha chanting a title of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo towards the Gohonzon.Nichiren expressed this Gohonzon for the first time in Sado island.

It is said that the letter conveys the mind of the person and the voice does for Buddha.

If a person chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonon where Nichiren dyed his soul in the sumi and wrote, the practice of Buddhism in the latter day of the Law will reach the ultimate end.

Nichiren wanted to convey that Law of attaining Buddhahood to all people of the latter days of the Law, by any means.

He talks about the magnificence of this Gohonzon himself.

“How mysterious it is for Nichiren!During two hundred years from the latter day of the Law, Nichiren revealed this marvelous mandala that even those such as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, Tientai and Miaolo were unable to express it, as the flag mark of propagation of the Lotus Sutra for the first time.This mandala is in no way my invention.This is the Gohonzon which the great Shakyamuni Buddha and all incarnations of him printed to a wood block in the tower of Taho Tathagata. Therefore, the five letters of the title are placed in the center, while the four kings of Heaven are seated at the four corners of the treasure tower. Shakyamuni, Tathagata Taho, and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas who appeared from the ground are side by side at the summit.Seated below them are the bodhisattvas, including Fugen and Manjushri, and the hearers of voice including Shariputra and Maudgalyayana.The gods of the sun and moon, the devil king of the sixth Heaven, the dragon king, an asura, and also King Fudo and King Aizen are in their territories of the south and north. The evil and treacherous Devadatta and the ignorant dragon king's daughter form a group.Also, there are the goddess of ogre and her ten daughters of evil spirit who usurp the lives of people of the three thousand worlds.In addition, there are the God of the sun, the great bodhisattva Hachiman, Heaven god of the seven generations, the land deities of five generations, all of the small and big gods of Heaven and land, are the tutelary gods of Japan.The body of gods are ranged in rows. How can remaining gods of appearing from the prime god be left? The chapter of treasure tower states, 'Buddha adjoined all the people, raising them. Therefore, every member was in the sky'. Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great saints, and all the miscellaneous crowd of the two worlds and the eight groups who appear in the 'Introduction' chapter of the Lotus Sutra reside first and last in this Gohonzon and illuminated by the light of five characters of the marvelous Law, they become the venerable form that they inherently possess. The Gohonzon means this”.'Reply to Lady Nichinyo' or 'About the Aspect of the Gohonzon'.

Furthermore, Nichiren answers a person doubting the rationale of this Gohonzon.

“Question: Is there the prediction of Buddha? Answer: The Buddha states, ‘In the latter five-hundred-year period this will spread widely throughout the whole world, Jambudvipa'. The Great Teacher Tientai predicts, ‘In the latter five-hundred-year period, the world will flourish by the marvelous Law for long'. Miaolo predicts, ‘The profit received from sowing the seed of Buddhahood is absolutely at the beginning of the latter days of the Law'. The Great Teacher Dengyo says, 'The former and middle day of the Law are almost over, and the latter day of the Law is near at hand'.‘The latter day of the Law is near at hand', this quotation means that his times were not becoming the times of propagation. The Great Teacher Dengyo, in Japan, foresaw the beginning of the latter day of the Law, saying: 'If saying times, the end of the middle days of the Law and the beginning of the latter day. Regarding the land, it will be the east of Tang and the west of Katsu. As for the person, he will be born from the five turbidities in the times of struggle'. The sutra says, ‘Hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Tathagata is in the world, why may there be fewer than this after his death? This explanation is to the point really'. ‘The times of struggle' of this commentary. It refers to the two disasters that are occurring at present, the internal strife and the invasion from the western sea. At this time the countless bodhisattvas (note) will appear from the ground, and the Gohonzon, the holiest in the world, will be erected in this country with the essential Shakyamuni Buddha playing a subordinate role”. ‘True Object of Worship’.

Continued to 'Nichimyo is promised to receive the Gohonzon from Nichiren'

They are the Bodhisattvas preached in the 15th chapter of 'appearing from the ground' of the Lotus Sutra. They are expressed with "the numerical Bodhisattvas such as particle dusts of 1000 worlds emerging from the ground" in the chapter of the 21st 'divine power'. Also, they are said to emerge from the ground with the number of sand of 60000 Ganges.The leaders of bodhisattvas emerging from the ground are four people including Jogyo.

“My disciples! Consider this deeply in your minds! The countless Bodhisattvas of the earth were the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, from the time first the Buddha set his mind on and had attained Buddhahood in the remote past. But they did not come to his place when Shakyamuni first attained Buddhahood, nor did they come to a grove of sal trees when Buddha entered nirvana.There is a fault of the unfilial there.They did not appear also when the Buddha preached the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the theoretical teachings, and they left the assembly when the Buddha preached the last six chapters of the essential teachings. They only attended the Buddha during the first eight chapters of the essential teachings. These truly noble bodhisattvas made a solemn oath to Shakyamuni Buddha, Tathagata Taho, and all the Buddha of the ten directions. Is it possible that they will not appear now of the beginning of the latter days of the Law? Know this: in the times for the practice of shakubuku the four bodhisattvas appear as wise kings who condemn ignorant kings, and in the times for the practice of shōju they appear as priests to embrace and spread the correct teachings!”‘True Object of Worship’